When i was in 5th grade my dad picked me up from school and said i could have a gift of my choice so i said to bring me to the pet shop. Before seeing the bettas, my dad said to get a golfish but the one of the staff sai they poop alot and showed us the bettas. I saw a beautiful blue one and got him. He is still alive.

My mum has a tropical community tank and I really want my own tank. Every time we went to the lfs I felt so sorry for all the bettas in tiny bowls so I decided that I wanted to give one a good life. So I did my research and decided they were the fish for me. Also I feel in love with Marley the moment I saw him.
He was in a vase with a horrible plastic plant. The staff were nice enough to hold him for me until my tank was ready.

I started with koi ponds, call me trippy buty all the colors swiming around was relaxing, then i got Finless and it was a love at first sight thing. Now on my way on selling my koi and breed bettas. Yep thats how it started

When I moved to Ottawa to go to college, I couldn't bring my cat with me. I was living with my aunt at the time, who was allergic to cats-plus, you can't really drag your pet into someone else's home. Anyway, even know that I'm renting a room and living on my own, they guy I'm renting from doesn't allow pets like dogs or cats...

Anyway, so I decided I was going to get something 'low maintenance' that I could keep contained in a tank. At first, I really wanted an axolotl, but I couldn't find a place that would sell them, so I started considerng fish instead. I'd been interested in fish, but I didn't have a lot of knowledge on how to keep them.

Anyway, I thought back to a female betta I had as a kid (sorry I didn't know how to take better care of you at the time, Zorro!), and how much I'd liked her-she had been so fiesty and cute.

I've had one or two bettas here and there. Then the summer after 5th grade I got Namu....I blame him. That Blue VT with red and green wash got me hooked!! The next thing I know I have a female betta community and a spawning tank.....well I've come a long way...I still miss Namu...he died the day before my birthday last year....I was so sad...he was the best little guy ever....in fact I might set up his 5 gallon again...might even put my blue DT male in there (he looks so much like Namu I named him Namu Jr).

My birthday present was a hamster, and to satiate my little brother, who was whining about needing a pet, my mom bought my little brother his own present: a betta fish (Puffy) under the condition I clean the fish bowl. And so our glorious history began... with me cleaning his 1/2 gallon once a week for my little brother, and with Puffy getting sick, and then my finding this website.... and we all know what happened from there ^-^

My girlfriend (michellelouise on the forums) wanted a pet together, my mom said no critters, anything furry, but i could have a fish. we were reluctant at first and didnt get one for a couple months, until we went to the pet store saw bettas and eventually got one, came home and as bad as it is to say it, we stuck him in a vase. well after about a half week of having him and constantly thinking the poor guy needs more space, we got him a five gallon...and then he died shortly after getting it (RIP Pablito). And ever since then i've personally been obsessed with these little guys, i currently have 6 tanks in my room, 3 in my living room, and 2 in my bathroom. lol

I think for me it was we had moved to California because of my dads job and I had no friends and my community college was all adults with no one to hang out with, I was kind of feeling lonely and I don't think I had gotten my new dog then and I kinda just...wanted something. So I had gone to petco a few times and seen the Betta's, but the first one or two times my mom said no, but then one day, dunno, I was looking at them and then she started looking at the 1/2 gallon kits and I found one (Valentine) that I just really loved and she just let me have him, then couple months later surprised me for Christmas with a two gallon tank. I had never had fish before other then him, and at first he was just kinda something to brighten my room, but it was very easy to truly fall in love with him : P

I'd never really noticed them at petstores until one day, after getting some money for my birthday from my brother, I walked into a store and saw my first betta and fell instantly for him. He was a royal blue VT and he lived three years in all sorts of conditions, even with a pair of goldfish for a few months. I didn't know any better and decided it was time to research these little dudes. Then I got my second . . . . and the rest is history . . . .